Nipple sterilizer



. April '1,l 1970 ma. GREEN l v NIPPLE s'rERILIzER Filed April 15. 1967 United States Patent O 3,505,007 NIPPLE STERILIZER Marcia Ross Green 801 Fairway Drive, Miami Beach, Fla. 33141 Filed Apr. 13, 1967, Ser. N0. 630,717

Int. Cl. A611 3/00 U.S. Cl. 21-78 7 Claims ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE A nipple sterilizer including a pan with a companionate lid and a plurality of nipple containers in the pan, each container being sized to receive a nipple and nng assembly for baby bottles, and means on the lid to hold a cap for each container so that when the pan and lid are in closing relation, heated water in the pan will cause vapors to sterilize the assemblies so that when the lid is removed a cap may be secured over each of the containers to main tain the assembly in a sterilized state for subsequent use by a mother.

This invention relates to a nipple sterilizer device for use by mothers in sterilizing a plurality of nipple assemblies for later use, such as by attachment of the assembly to a commercially prepared formula container when it is opened for use. It is apparent that through use of this invention a mother may prepare numerous containers of sterilized nipples and store them for convenient use at home or away; al1 that is required is that she select the number of sterilized containers to bring on a trip which is of suicient number to match the expected number of formula feedings on that particular trip.

Itis, accordingly, an object of this invention to provide an improved nipple sterilizer of the type described hereinafter having its parts arranged, constructed and adapted for the purposes specified, which is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture and of time saving benefits to a mother and which provides a sterilized nipple assembly.

In accordance with these and other objects which will become apparent hereinafter the instant invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

' FIGURE 1 is an exploded view illustrating a sterilizer device constructed in accordance with this invention.

FIGURE 2 is a view ink cross section of a container including a nipple assembly which is adapted to be transported by the mother for use as desired.

FIGURE 3 is a view in cross section taken diametrically of the device of FIG. 1 when closed, and illustrating several nipple containers including nipple assemblies therein in position to be sterilized.

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view of the nipple assembly.

Referring to the drawings, the nipple sterilizer is generally designated by the numeral 12 and is composed of a pan 14 and lid 16 which is companionately sized to nest securely over the terminal rim end 18 ofthe side wall 20 which extends from a floor or bottom 22 having a main area as seen in plan, the bottom preferably being flat. The main area of the bottom is of a suiicient size to accommodate in sideeby-side relation a plurality of nipple containers such as that designated by the numeral 24, each container having a body 26 which is preferably cylindrical and of a cross-sectional area such that a plurality of the containers may be supported on the main area and of sufficient size to receive a standard size nipple 28. The magnetically attractive or ferro-magnetic caps 30 are provided for each of the bodies. Each of the nipples 28 is part of a nipple assembly generally designated by the numeral 34 in FIGURES 2 and 4 which is seen to also include a ring 36 having an interiorly threaded recess 38 extending to a floor or ange 40 which is provided ice with a central opening 42 for passage of the nose end 44 of the nipple with the conventional skirt 46 overlaying the recess side of the iioor and adapted to be captivated within the ring by a threaded engagement of the assembly on a threaded bottle neck. The interior of the containers 24 are of an axial lengt-h, that is altitude, which is substantially the same as the axial length of the ring and nipple assembly. The inside of the lid is provided with means to hold a cap 30 for each of the body portions; preferably the means comprise a large magnetic disk 48 sized to the interior dimension of the. lid or a plurality of smaller magnets which are adapted to engage a metallic portion of each cap. The magnets are spaced apart from one another and are in number equal to the number of containers which are positioned within the pan with the large magnet or the pattern of the smaller magnets arranged so as to not interfere with the arrangement of the body portions within the pan. The lid 16 is preferably provided with a handle 50 having an enlarged area 52 which is substantially parallel to the transverse planes of the pan so that the lid may be inverted and the caps selectively removed from the holding magnet. Referring with particularity to FIGURE 2 it will be seen that in the preferred embodiment the container is adapted to conveniently receive the nipple assembly for ready removal of it Without contacting the sterilized nipple nose. Preferably the exterior face of the floor of the ring is sized to just span the distal most end of the body portion which in turn is of an axial length sufficient so that the nipple nose is at about the plane of the bottom of the container and supported slightly thereabove by the ring assembly. Also, to accommodate circulation of heated vapors in the nipple assembly containers, as will be important and apparent hereinafter, the exterior face of the floor may be provided with recesses such as that designated by the numeral 54 from the periphery thereof to a point inwardly. For aesthetic reasons these recesses may extend radially from the periphery across the exterior face of the oor to the annular openings. In operation a group of nipples to be sterilized are individually positioned in the respective body portions which are positioned in the pan and the caps are suspended from the holding means, that is, the magnet or magnets. Water in the pan may then be heated to cause the vapors to sterilize the nipple assemblies as well as the interior of the containers. After the recommended period of such sterilizing process, the lid is removed from the pan and inverted so that it rests on the exterior surface of the flat handle. After suflicient cooling has taken place the caps are applied to the respective body portions and the'containers may be stored for future use.

Thereafter the containers may be used as required and.

each container, since it contains a separate nipple assembly, does not permit contamination of the other nipple assemblies when used by the mother.

While the instant invention has been shown and described herein in what is conceived to be the most practical and preferred embodiment, it is recognized that departures may be made therefrom within the scope of the invention, which is therefore not to be limited t` the details disclosed herein but is to be accorded the full scope of the claims so as to embrace any and all equivalent apparatus and articles.

I claim:

1. A nipple sterilizer assembly comprising in combination a pan having a bottom bordered by a side wall having a terminal upper edge,

a lid removably received on the side wall edge, for substantially sealing steam therein when sterilizing nipples,

said pan being of an area sufficient to accommodate at least one nipple-container assembly therein,

said lid having means accessible at the inner surface thereof for removably retaining a nipplecontainer closure cap in suspended relation on the undersurface of the lid; and

a nipple-container assembly comprising a nipple unit, and a nipple container including a body and a closure cap removably and replaceably retained on said body to enclose said nipple unit, said closure cap including means detachably engageable with said means accessible at the inner surface of said lid.

2. The combination as claimed in claim 14 in which said nipple unit assembly includes a ring having an inwardly extending, centrally apertured ange, a resilient nipple including an annular, grooved skirt removably engaging said ring ange,

said nipple container body having an upper edge and removably receiving the nipple inverted therein with the nipple ring resting on the body edge,

said closure cap being removably and replaceably retained on said body over said nipple collar and body edge.

3. The combination as claimed in claim 2 in Which said nipple ring flange includes groove means on the outer surface thereof for promoting circulation of steam Within said nipple-container assembly.

4. The combination as claimed in claim 3 in which said groove means comprises a plurality of radially disposed grooves spaced circumferentially about said ring flange.

5. The combination as claimed in claim 2 in which said means for removably retaining said nipple-container on the inner surface of the lid and means detachably engageable therewith are a magnetically attractive material. t

6. The combination as claimed in claim 2 in which said nipple container body and cap include cooperating thread portions for detachably and replaceably mounting said cap.

7. A nipple sterilizer including:

a pan having side walls and a terminal rim and having a bottom of a first main area, a plurality of nipple containers cach comprising a body and a cap, each said body being of a crosssectional area less than that of said main area of said pan,

a nipple unit assembly, in each container, each assembly including a ring and a nipple, the interior of said container being of an altitude substantially as large as the axial length of the ring and the nipple assembly,

a lid for said pan, said lid being sized to tightly cover the pan,

means inside the lid to hold a cap for each container,

so that a plurality of assemblies may be sterilized simultaneously, each assembly being in a container and exposed to vapors from heat and Water in the pan when the lid is tightly secured thereto, and when the lid is removed, each container being adapted to be closed by one of the respective caps to maintain the assembly in a sterilized state,

each ring including a iioor having a central opening for passage of the nipple, the exterior surface of said floor including a plurality of recesses extending across the face from the peripheral edge to the edge of the opening to provide a communication passageway, the diameter of said ring being slightly larger than the inside diameter of the terminal end of the body to span the interior of the container with the nipple depending in the interior of the body and the exterior terminal margin of the container being exteriorly threaded to receive the cap, said cap being sized to extend over the terminal end of the body to close said container.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,204,683 6/1940 Lambert 21-103 XR 2,347,150 4/ 1944 'Consolazio 21-103 2,467,337 4/ 1949 Schnell 21-95 3,373,864 3/1968 Barton et al 21S-l1 XR MORRIS O. WOLK, Primary Examiner D. G. MILLMAN, Assistant Examiner U.S. Cl. X.R. 21--95; 206-46 

